Decoration of textile materials



i cut to separate the two fabrics; or the pile may be Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECORATION 0F TEXTILE. MATERIALS Frank D. Cheney, New York, N. Y., and John Learned,

Manchester, Oonn.,

assignors to Cheney Brothers, Manchester, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut N0 Drawing. Application April 22, 1936, Serial No. 75,764

11 Claims.

' ground composed of weft and warp threads, in-

terwoven with which is a pile.

The pile may be cut, in which case two groun fabrics are woven face to face, with the pile threads extending between them, the pile being uncut in which case the pile threads are woven over cords or wires and form loops.

The pile and the ground may be of the same or different fibers, and may include rayon, cotton, silk, acetate, mohair and other types of fibers.

In manufacturing these pile fabrics, the goods, as they are turned out by the loom, in cut or uncut condition, are termed gray goods and these gray goods must be boiled off to remove the starch,

r gelatine or casein size from the rayon or cotton filaments and also to remove the gum from the natural silk,

Following this boil off, the fabric is dyed, hydroextracted to remove as much moisture as possible and then it is dried with suitable mechanical treatment of the pile to give it a desired set in the final fabric.

In the case of the usual type of velvets, such as transparent or dress velvets, the pile, while the 1 fabric is on a tentering frame, is subjected to brushing in various directions so that finally the cut pile ends assume upright position.

In other types of pile fabrics, the pile may be flattened in one direction or it may be embossed or it may be crushed or it may be brushed in swirls or it may be cired, and as a result of these treatments the pile acquires a distinctive set at the conclusion of the treatment.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a process by which it is possible to treat a textile fabric, and particularly a pile textile fabric of the velvet or plush type, so that decorative patterns or designs may be obtained on the pile with said designs consisting of different settings of the pile over the face of the fabric.

Another object' is to provide a patterned or decorated textile fabric, particularly of the velvet or plush type, in which different areas arranged in desired designs on said fabric will be set so as to cause the pile to be erect, crushed, flattened, embossed, swirled or cired, while the other portions will be given a contrasting one or the other of the aforementioned sets of the pile.

Other objects will be obvious or will become apparent during the course of the following specification.

In accomplishing the above objects, it has been found most satisfactory in connection with a velvet or plush fabric to first finish the entire fabric with one of the previous aforementioned sets.

According to one method, after the gray goods have been boiled off and/ or dyed, the pile may be finished and set in erect condition, flattened condition, crushed condition, swirled condition, embossed condition or cired condition.

Then, after the textile has been so finished, and

its pile has been set and it has been thoroughly 1 dried, it is subjected to a printing operation with a fixative or fixing agent which will have the effect of causing stabilization or retention of the set of the pile in the portions to which the printing mapile is set, may be treated with the fixative and portions of the fixative removed by printing with a solvent; or the fabric may be first printed with a substance or chemical which resists the fixation by the fixative and then subjected to an overall treatment with the fixative.

For example, a printing paste containing a coagulatable protein material such as albumin, casein, glue, or gelatine, together with a coagulant, such as formaldehyde, tannin, alum or bichromate may be employed as a fixative, but in the preferred process, the fixative printing paste contains a synthetic resinous material preferably in an intermediate stage of condensation, the preferred resinous material being the intermediate ureaformaldehyde or thio-urea-formaldehyde condensation product.

Among the other resinous materials which may be utilized to stabilize or fix the. set of the pile in the desired areas, pursuant to the design which it is desired to produce, are compositions containing intermediate condensation products of vinylite resins, acrylic acid resins, phenol-aldehyde resins, acetone-phenol-aldehyde resins, phthalic acid-polyhydroxy-alcohol-organic acid resins, and in some instances, other plastic materials than synthetic resins which are convertible to an insoluble condition.

These printing pastes, of course, may contain dyes or other materials, to give a desirable coloration to the portions of the fabric printed.

Where an intermediate synthetic resin of the urea-formaldehyde type is employed, the fabric is subjected to a curing treatment to cause the resin to be converted into insoluble condition- When the entire fabric is to be treated or impregnated with a resin, either before or after printing with a resist or a solvent of the resin the fabric may be immersed in an aqueous bath containing an emulsion or solution of the resin.

With urea-formaldehyde resins, which have been first condensed under slightly alkaline conditions with an alkali metal salt, such as a phosphate, borate or carbonate followed by the addition of ammonium salt or a weak acid to cause an acid condensation, it is most desirable to carry out the curing operation from three to eight minutes between 250 to 400 F.

For example, in one instance, it has been found particularly satisfactory to cure for six minutes at temperatures ranging from 280 to 320 F.

Where the urea-formaldehyde resin has been prepared with a single catalytic agent and with para-formaldehyde, with the addition of catalysts, such as sodium bicarbonate, alkali starch, alkali alcoholates, glycerol, diacetate, formamide, acetone-bisulphite ammonium salt, benzaldehyde-bisulphite ammonium salt and aniline acetate, it is possible to use a lower curing temperature, say of 70 to 120 C. for only a few minutes.

After the plastic material has thus been cured in the printed or treated areas, the fabric may be steamed, if necessary to bring out or develop the color or dye stuff and then it may be washed in a liquor such as an alkaline soap liquor to remove the gums and/or thickeners used in printing and to wet it so that the pile in the unprinted or untreated unfixed portions may be given a set different than that of the pile in the printed portions.

For example, where the printed portions of pile have been flattened in one direction, the unprinted portions may be now flattened in another direction to give a contrasting decorative appearance or the unprinted portions may be subjected to some other contrasting set.

The essential feature of the present invention resides in giving one portion of the pile one set, while the other portion of the pile is given another set, which will give a contrasting permanent design, resistant to steaming and wearing which will not gradually Weaken and disappear.

Where, instead of printing only portions of the pile with the fixing agent, the fabric is treated overall with resin and the resin is then removed from the places Where it is desired to give the second set, this removal may be accomplished by an organic solvent or preferably by an inorganic dispersing agent, such as hydrochloric or a similar acid, which may be applied by a printing operation.

On the other hand, portions of the fabric may be printed with a resist material such as paraifin, dextrine, beeswax, mastic, oils, starch, gelatine, agar-agar, and so forth, which will keep these portions of the pile from being affected by the resin or other fixing plastic, and then the entire fabric may be immersed or treated with a resin which will only affect those portions which have not been protected with the resist composition.

In any case, after the resin is applied, the curing operation is caused to take place and then the fabric is moistened so that the intervening portions may be re-set to one or the other finishes above mentioned. a

To summarize some of the methods of treatment which may be employed to accomplish the decorative effects forming the objects of the present invention, the following examples may be given.

Example I The gray goods are boiled off, dyed, if desired, and then the pile is brushed and dried so that it will have an erect set.

The fabric then may be subjected to the following alternative treatments:

(a) The erect pile fabric may be treated all over with the resin, then cured, printed with a solvent and embossed with steaming and brushing up of the pile, resulting in the pile becoming erect in the unprinted portions.

(b) The erect pile fabric may be printed with a resist, treated all over with a resin, cured, treated to remove the resist and then brushed in swirls, the swirled effect being given to the printed portions only.

The erect pile fabric may be treated all over with the resin, cured, printed with a solvent, crushed, followed by steaming and brushing to raise the pile in the unprinted portions, the steaming and brushing being sufficient to eliminate the crushed effect in such unprinted portions.

(d) The erect pile fabric may be treated all over with the resin, cured, printed with solvent and brushed in swirls with the swirled effect being given to the printed portions only.

(e) The erect pile fabric may be printed with the resist, treated all over with the resin, cured, treated to remove the resist or the resist may remain in certain instances, crushed, followed by steaming and brushing up of the pile which will remove the crushed effect in the unprinted portions.

(f) The erect pile fabric may be printed with resin, cured, crushed and then steamed with brushing up of the pile resulting in making the pile erect in the printed portions.

(9) The erect pile fabric is printed with the resin, cured and brushed in swirls to give a swirled effect to the unprinted portions.

Example II The pile is crushed, after boiling oif and/or dyeing, by moistening with Water, or by passing it slowly over an open box or trough containing boiling Water or by passing it over a perforated or slotted pipe from which live steam is issuing and then twisting by holding one end of the piece while rotating the other end of the piece until the entire piece resembles a heavy rope. Following this the goods are allowed to dry in a hot chamber. Then the fabric with such crushed pile may be treated in the following fashions.

(a) The crushed pile fabric may be printed with resin, cured and steamed and brushed to restore the pile to erect position in the untreated portions.

(b) The crushed pile fabric is printed with resin, cured and the pile flattened to give a flattened set in the unprinted portions, while the printed portions remain crushed.

(0) The crushed pile fabric is treated all over with the resin, cured, printed with solvent and steamed with brushing up to make the pile erect in the printed portions, while the unprinted portions remain crushed.

((2) The crushed pile fabric is printed with the resist, treated all over with the resin, cured, treated to remove the resist, or the resist in some instances is left in and then steamed with brushing up of the pile to remove the crushed effect in the printed portions.

Example III to remove the embossed effect in the unprinted portions.

(b) The embossed pile fabric may be printed with the resist, then treated all over with the resin, cured, treated to remove-the resist, or the resist in some instances is left in, a'nd finally steamed and brushed to bring up the pile in the printed portions.

(c) The embossed pile fabric may betreated all over with the resin, cured, printed with the resin solvent and then steamed with brushing up of the pile to remove the embossed effect in the printed portions.

Example IV The pile of the fabric may flattened, after boiling off and/or dyeing, by brushing the wet or dampened pile in one direction and drying the pile in its flattened condition on a tentering machine, in a hot chamber or'by hot cylinder. In place of flattening it may also be cired by passing between two cylinders one of which is heated and driven at a speed different than that of the other. It is then subjected to the following treatments:

(at) The flattened pile fabric may be printed with resin, cured and then steamed with brushing up of the pile to remove the flattened effect in the unprinted portions.

(h) The flattened pile fabric may be treated all over with resin, cured, printed with solvent and then steamed with brushing up of the pile to.

Example V The pile of the fabric may first be given a swirled appearance, as for example by brushing with a number of rotating brushes, followed by subjection to one or more of the following treatments:

((1) The swirl pile fabric may be printed with the resist, treated all over with the resin, cured, in some instances treated to remove the resist, and then steamed with brushing up of the pile to remove the swirls in the printed portions.

(b) The swirl pile fabric may be printed with resin, cured, and then steamed with brushing up of the pile to remove the swirls in the unprinted portions.

Any of the above sets may be applied as the first set of the pile or as the second set the pile after the pile has been treated with the resin with or without the resist and with or without printing with the resin solvent.

Initially, the pile may be finished erect, crushed, flattened, cired, brushed in swirls or embossed and then subjected to anyone of the subsequent treatments in Examples I to V.

It is to be understood that the various alternative subsequent setting treatments disclosed in less, as a general rule, it'is preferred to flatten the pile before printing since in this condition a sharper outline of the pattern will be obtained with a much more certain; configuration or application of the printing material whether it be a pigment, resin, resist or solvent.

Of the above methods, the preferred methods are that of Example II (a) and also that of Example IV (a) according to which respectively, the pile is first crushed or flattened, printed with resin, cured and then steamed-with a brushing up of the :pile in the untreated portions. Although the present invention in certain aspects, is applicable to the decoration of non-pile fabrics in which it is desirable to set a flatness, wrinkling, creasing, crinkling, or embossing in certain configurations, while a contrasting one of these sets is given to other portions of the nonpile fabric, nevertheless, the present invention finds its preferred field of application to pile fabrics.

The present invention in certain aspects is also applied to synthetic and natural furs or skins, napped or tufted fabrics, wool and fur felts and so forth.

Although the printing operation may be accomplished with engraved rollers, it is apparent that the fabrics may also be printed with the resin, the resist, the resin solvent, or combinations thereof with stencils, blocks, screens and so, forth.

In making up the resin printing paste, it has been found satisfactory according to one procedure, to make up six quarts of an aqueous syrup containing the urea-formaldehyde resin which has been partly condensed. Then to this syrup is added about three-eights of a quart of solution of one half pound of phthalic anhydride flakes in one quart of alcohol. The acidity should preferably be about pH 4.2 and the amount of phthalic anhydride solution may be varied to give such acidity.

Then, about three quarts of the resin material are mixed with about four quarts of a thickening gum such as gum arabic, locust bean gum, dextrine, gum tragacanth or agar-agar.

Forv printing simultaneously with colors sufficient dyestuff may be added to the resin mixture to give the desired shade.

Where the fabric is treated or printed with solvent, the fabric may be treated to remove the solvent. Also the solvent in case of resins may be utilized before the resin has been cured, permitting the use of less drastic solvents than hydrochloride acid for removing the resin.

The application of the resin to portions of the pile, followed by curing, will cause such portions to beresistant to subsequent efforts to change the surface condition, so that for example with subsequent crushing or flattening or embossing, the resin treated portions may be readily restored by a relatively slight brushing and steaming.

On the other hand, such brushing and steaming will not be sufficient to remove the crushed, flattened or embossed effect in the non-resin treated portions.

.*It is to be understood, however, that invention is 'not to be restricted to any particular example, composition or proportions, or to any particular application, or to any specific manner of use or to any of various details thereof, herein described, as the same may be modified in various particulars or be applied in many varied relations without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, thepractical embodiments herein described merely showing some of the various features entering into the application of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises weaving the grey goods, boiling off the grey goods, treating the pile to give it a set by one of a group of setting treatments consisting of crushing, brushing to cause the pile to be erect, brushing to cause the pile to be swirled, flattening and embossing, treating the fabric in certain predetermined areas with a fixative in soluble condition, but which may be rendered insoluble after application to the pile, and which when rendered insoluble will cause the pile to retain its set in the treated areas, even though the pile be subsequently subjected to another one of said setting treatments, insolubilizing the fixative in the treated areas, and then subjecting the fabric to another of said setting treatments whereby a contrasting set will be given to the fabric in the treated areas than has been given to it in the untreated areas. I

2. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises weaving the grey goods, boiling off the grey goods, treating the entire pile with a fixative, which is in soluble condition, but which may be rendered insoluble after application to the pile, and when rendered insoluble, will cause the pile to retain its set even though it be subjected to a setting treatment selected from the group consisting of crushing, brushing to cause the pile to be erect, brushing to cause the pile to be swirled, flattening and embossing, insolubilizing the fixative, treating the fabric in certain predetermined areas to remove said fixative, whereby the pile in said remaining areas will retain its set even though it be subsequently subjected to another of said setting treatments, and then subjecting the pile in the treated areas by another of said setting treatments to give the pile in said treated areas a contrasting set to the pile in the untreated areas.

3. A process of decorating a pile fabric, which comprises weaving the grey goods, boiling off the grey goods, treating the pile of said fabric to give it a set by one of a group of setting treatments, consisting of crushing, brushing to cause the pile to be erect, brushing to cause the pile to be swirled, flattening and embossing, treating predetermined areas of said pile with a resist which will prevent said pile from being subsequently affected in the set areas by a fixative, treating the pile with a fixative, which is soluble, but which may be rendered insoluble after application to the pile, and which when rendered insoluble, will cause the pile to retain its set even though the pile be subsequently subjected to another one of said setting treatments, insolubilizing the fixative in the areas not treated with the resist, removing the resist, and then tretaing the areas from which the resist has been removed with another one of said setting treatments to give such last mentioned areas a set contrasting to the set of the other areas.

4. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises setting the pile during the finishing of the fabric, treating with a solution of a soluble fixative in predetermined areas, permanentizing the fixative in such areas by rendering it insoluble, and then giving the entire fabric a second setting, whereby the permanentized areas remain unaffected and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

5. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises setting the pile during the finishing of the fabric, treating with an aqueous solution of a water soluble resin, permanentizing the resin in predetermined areas by rendering it insoluble, and then giving the entire fabric a second setting, whereby the permanentized areas remain unaffected and the remaining areas acquire contrasting set.

6. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises setting the pile during the finishing of the fabric, printing the fabric with a solution of a soluble fixative, permanentizing the fixative in the printed areas by rendering it insoluble and then giving the entire fabric a second setting, whereby the permanentized areas remain unaffected and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

'7. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises crushing the pile during the finishing of the fabric, treating with a solution of a soluble fixative in predetermined areas, permanentizing the fixative in such areas by'rendering it insoluble, and then giving the entire pile a treat ment which tends to make the pile erect, whereby the areas in which the pile is crushed will remain unaffected and retain the crushed set and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

8. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises flattening the pile during the finishing of the fabric, treating with a solution of a soluble fixative in predetermined areas, permanentizing the fixative in such areas by rendering it insoluble, and then giving the entire pile a second setting treatment which will tend to make the pile erect, whereby the permanentized areas will remain unaffected and retain the flattened set and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

9. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises setting the pile during the finishing of the fabric, printing the pile with a resist in predetermined areas, treating the entire pile with a solution of a soluble fixative which will not affect the areas printed with the resist, permanentizing the fixative in the areas not affected by the resist by rendering it insoluble, removing the resist and then giving the entire fabric a second setting, whereby the permanentized areas remain unaffected and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

10. A process of decorating a pile fabric which comprises setting the pile during the finishing of the fabric, treating the entire pile with a solution of a soluble fixative, permanentizing the fixative, dissolving away the fixative in certain areas by treatment with a solvent, and then giving the entire fabric a second setting, whereby the permanentized areas remain unaffected and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

11. A process of giving contrasting sets to a pile fabric which comprises setting the pile by brushing during finishing of the fabric, printing the fabric with an aqueous solution of a water soluble urea formaldehyde resin, baking the fabric to render the urea formaldehyde resin insoluble in the printed areas, and then giving the entire fabric a second setting, whereby the printed areas remain unaffected and the remaining areas acquire a contrasting set.

FRANK D. CHENEY. JOHN LEARNED. 

